I made the mistake of not going earlier and was down right flummoxed by what I saw when I finally stopped by.

I thought the projects were so interesting and visceral. Many of the artists experimented with mixed media and were able to create thought-provoking works of art that played with the idea of sentimentality.

A series of old rustic keys and locks formed the structure of a short cocktail dress. Simple white fabric and red thread were woven into a Chinese take out carton and a ramen noodle bowl. A dark room in the far back dimly lit by an enchanting yet slightly spooky light installation. An old woman’s voice waxes nostalgia in an audio recording heard through a pair of white headphones attached to a wall.

Left image: Ash Garcia’s “Inheritance,” made of keys, lanyard clips, jump rings, galvanized wire, and hardware cloth on dress form. Upper right image: Lindsey Cady’s “The Collection,” made of glass jars, plaster, and watercolor on paper. Bottom right image: Juliana Bradley’s “We’re All In This Together,” made of wood, wood stain, and hinges.

There were also artworks that have struck me to the core. Like the conceptual paintings of a wounded soldier and its smaller accompanying piece of a dirty military boot. Or the many ceramic tentacles squirming their way out of various wooden slabs attached to the wall.

And especially the strewed pieces of a raccoon’s skeleton drowning in a foamy sea of bright red simulated blood and green-brown sludge.

Right images: Brittany Watkin’s “There is No Cure For What Is Killing Me,” made of spray insulation foam, arylic paint, oil paint and raccoon skeleton. Left image: a larger piece also made by Brittany Watkins, consisting of similar materials mixed with sludge from pollution collected from the Bay Area.

The Aron Art Museum will be open today on Saturday, April 20 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Again, the last day of the exhibition is on Sunday, April 21 in which case the museum will be open from noon to 4 p.m. See it soon!

The names of all the seniors who contributed their artworks at the exhibition on the signage outside the Museum.

BLOG | Check out the Mills Senior Art Exhibition before it ends! (PHOTOS within) was published on April 20, 2013 in Blogs, Multimedia, Photos